Israel wipes out top Hezbollah commander in airstrike as video shows his car explode in massive fireball

ISRAEL has eliminated a top Hezbollah commander in a precision airstrike in Lebanon.

Explosive footage captures the moment the terror chief was wiped out as his car explodes into a horror fireball.

Hussein Azqul was named as the man killed in the strike.

The IDF labelled him a “central terrorist” in Hezbollah’s air defence unit and said it will be a “significant blow” for the terror group.

Azqul was “heavily involved in the activities and took part in the planning and execution of a variety of terror activities,” say the IDF.

Hezbollah confirmed his death saying he was killed “on the road to Jerusalem” – a term indicating they were eliminated by Israeli air attacks.

A second commander, Muhammad Attiya, was also killed overnight by Israel.

He is thought to be a member of the aerial unit of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force and “involved in the preparation and execution of terrorist attacks” against Israel.

Hezbollah also confirmed his death with the same chilling message.

Increased tensions

The violence flaring between Israel and Hezbollah comes amid heightened tensions after Iran retaliated against Israel for a deadly attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 2.

Iran said seven of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) military advisers, including senior commanders, were killed after Israel bombed the embassy.

Brig-Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander of the elite Quds Force, and his deputy Brig-Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji-Rahim have been named among those dead.

The ambassador is understood to have survived, and Iranian state television reported this was an “assassination attempt”.

Iran has since responded, with 300 drones and missiles launched towards Israel from Iran and its proxy groups in Lebanon and Yemen on April 13.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said 99 per cent of the missiles were intercepted by its air defences – with the help of the US navy and Britain’s RAF, whose forces downed drones over the Iraq–Syrian border.

RAF pilots shot down “a number” of attack drones, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on April 14.

But the IDF said a small number of the ground-to-ground Iranian missiles did strike Israel, wounding a girl and causing minor damage to a military base in the south.

UK defence secretary Grant Shapps condemned Iran’s “senseless” attack, insisting it “serves no benefit other than to further undermine regional security”. 

While Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: “Iran’s reckless attacks on Israel will only further inflame tensions in the Middle East.

“The UK calls on the Iranian regime to stop this serious escalation, which is in no one’s interest.”

Earlier on Saturday Mr Netanyahu had said Israel was prepared for a “direct attack from Iran” following its threats of retaliation for a deadly air strike on its Damascus consulate.